UPSC Previous Year Question | Prelims GS | 2018

The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were:

  1. Raw cotton, oil-seeds and opium
  2. Sugar, salt, zinc and lead
  3. Copper, silver, gold, spices and tea
  4. Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium

Answer

Correct Answer

Cotton, silk, saltpetre and opium

Explanation

In the mid-18th century the Company's main exports from Bengal were cotton textiles, raw silk, saltpetre and opium.

Topics: bengal exports in the 18th century, east india company trade, history, modern india